Human fecal bacteria confirmed in NE Seattle's Thornton Creek

JOSHUA TRUJILL, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

By JOSHUA TRUJILLO, SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

Updated 11:03 pm, Thursday, June 13, 2013

Northeast Seattle's Thornton Creek emerges from under Lake City Way on Thursday, June 13, 2013. Seattle Public Utilities has announced that potentially dangerous levels of human fecal coliform bacteria have been discovered in the urban creek.
Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO, SEATTLEPI.COM

Northeast Seattle's Thornton Creek emerges from under Lake City Way...

Northeast Seattle's Thornton Creek makes its way through Jackson Park Golf Course on Thursday, June 13, 2013. Seattle Public Utilities has announced that potentially dangerous levels of human fecal coliform bacteria have been discovered in the urban creek.
Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO, SEATTLEPI.COM

Northeast Seattle's Thornton Creek makes its way through Jackson...

Northeast Seattle's Thornton Creek makes its way through Jackson Park Golf Course on Thursday, June 13, 2013. Seattle Public Utilities has announced that potentially dangerous levels of human fecal coliform bacteria have been discovered in the urban creek.
Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO, SEATTLEPI.COM

Northeast Seattle's Thornton Creek makes its way through Jackson...

Northeast Seattle's Thornton Creek shows a collection of floating material and garbage where it flows into Lake Washington near Matthews Beach on Thursday, June 13, 2013. Seattle Public Utilities has announced that potentially dangerous levels of human fecal coliform bacteria have been discovered in the urban creek.
Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO, SEATTLEPI.COM

A report has confirmed that human fecal bacteria is entering northeast Seattle's Thornton Creek, likely from multiple locations along the creek's route through the city.

Seattle Public Utilities said on Thursday that it has been known for years that fecal coliform bacteria concentrations in the creek posed a potential risk to the public and exceeded state water quality standards. However, the newly released information confirms that human bacteria are present in the water. The study also identifies general areas where the bacteria may be entering the creek.

Rico Aguirre, who for years had the creek running through his back yard east of Lake City Way, said he has always wondered what substances a series of pipes pour into the creek.

"It always smelled bad," he said.

The creek is among the most urbanized streams in King County and runs through roughly 700 backyards.

"Human waste shouldn't be in this creek," said SPU Director Ray Hoffman in a news release.

The study of Thornton Creek was funded by the Washington Department of Ecology and led by Jonathan Frodge, a Seattle Public Utilities stormwater scientist. The study was based on samples collected at 45 sites throughout the watershed, under a variety of conditions, said the news release.

SPU will be posting signs throughout the watershed, advising people to stay out of the water.

Previous efforts to locate bacteria in Thornton Creek have focused on finding illicit sewage inputs into the city's stormwater drainage system. The stormwater system empties into the creek at multiple locations. Other potential sources include homeless camps along the creek and RVs that dump human waste into storm drains.

Immediately east of Lake City Way, down in thick brush, there were at least 6 spots that looked as if people were camping alongside the creek. What appeared to be drainage pipes also came out of the hillside, ready to dump their contents into the creek.